Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 1908. OHINEMURI ELECTORATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43386, 12 November 1908, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 1908. OHINEMURI ELECTORATE.

This above all—to thine own self be true , ind it must follow as the night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man Shakespeare.

The Ohinemuri electorate appears to have a varied choice in the candidates whose names will be submitter] to the electors at the forthcoming poll. In Mr Poland the sitting member, the electorate finds a warm supporter and exponent of the policy of the present Government. Of its financial policy Mr Poland is an earnest exponent and advocate, claiming that the policy of heavy borrowing ii justified by results With regard to the land policy, Mr Poland declares that the present administration has but very slightly altered the laws of the country. It has done away with the 999 years’ lease in favour of the 66 years renewable lease, and has set aside endowments for education and old age pension purposes, but the setting aside of endowments for Harbour Boards and other bodies was simply a continuation of a long established policy. The Government has assisted ‘he farmers by allowing nearly all agricultural implements to come into the country duty free, and by running experimental farms for the benefit of the agriculturalist, besides devising many other ways of assisting the country settlers. Mr Poland considers that the arbitration and workers compensation legislation has been much improved, also that by defining the operation of its dairying regulations the Government has delivered the farmer out of the hands of arbitrary inspectors. He would advocate greater State assistance to prospecting and mining, and an extension to the North of the State coal mine system. He insists upon the importance to Paeroa of good roads to the coining district which is being prepared for settlement on the Hauraki plains, also upon the importance of the railways to Pokeno from Paeroa, and to Gisborne from Waihi, and he claims to have convinced the Government of the necessity for dealing with the j Ohinemuri river, which he feels con- 1 fident will be cleared. Mr Poland reminds electors of the grants ] totalling £24,334 for the purpose of; goldfield and other roads in Ohine ] muri.

Mr Haselden, the Opposition candidate, who convincingly refutes the charge of being run by either the Brewers or the Waihi Company, has come here to contest the election in the interests of the Opposition, simply because there is not a local candidate coming forward. He is a fearless and “ good hater ” of the Government borrowing policy, and would revise the system of public account keeping, and also the system whereby public works are constructed at what he declares to be excessive cost to the country, and with excessive delay. He is opposed to subsidization of Roman Catholic schools. His political creed may be summed up as follows : i Free’ trade within the Empire, freehold duties for revenue only, reduction of duties on the necessaries ' of life, making the back blocks accessible, and assistance to workers and settlers, the present system of

education but facilitates for free access to the University, acquisition of all unproductive land prior to acquisition of improved estates ; reform of the Criminal Code Act, a White New Zealand, to strive to raise the general standard of comfort, intelligence, and morality, and pure administration. Mr Way is an out and out Socialist, taking his stand upon the ■Socialistic platform of abolition of he individual ownership of commoditie and the assumption by the State of the care of the babe, and the

education of the child, direct Government by the people by means uf the Initiative and Referendum. Ato'ifc.on of legal monop fly by allowing any person of good character to plead in any court of law, the Crown to provide legal representation for any person charged with any offence or crime.

Of the other two candidates Mr Armstrong comes forward in the interest of the miners.

Ohinemuri has perhaps not such a wide option as might be thought at first glance, for it is pretty evident that the voting will chiefly narrow itself around the present member and his able opponent. We urge the electors to give the selection of their representative the fullest consideration, and vote from personal conviction, and from personal conviction alone.